Quirte - Applies to both genders equally. The equivalent of Mister or Miss, Missus.
Gloranumis - (feminine) One who holds a state of royalty or majesty. Ancient turian royal title.
Caris - Beloved, precious
52 Days ASR
Shepard stopped and activated her omnitool—thank the sweet baby Jesus that she hadn't taken it off yet—and checked the husk's position. It remained about two hundred metres ahead, moving steadily, but not quickly through the upper sewer tunnels. Letting out a sigh, she closed the scanner. At least it was sticking to the tunnels just beneath the streets rather than delving into the lower levels and their more questionable contents.
She froze, hearing something … the sounds of running footsteps in the dank tunnel. Two sets, approaching her from behind. Damn. It would be nice to have backup, but did she dare wait for them? How long would explaining everything take? Would the husk escape beyond scanner range?
You can't risk losing the damned thing. Move!
Keeping low, she moved forward, dogging the muffled, quick splash echoing from the sewer ahead. She stayed on higher, drier ground, her feet really not happy about her lack of boots. The footsteps coming up behind her moved fast. Good. They could damn well chase her. Sounded like only two pursuers, and judging by the length of stride, they were either turian or Martin had brought his frame armour to the wedding.
The pale, schmung-covered lights along the roof of the sewer tunnel cast a wan, yellow light over the water flowing along the lowest portion of the brick floor. Definitely not a flattering effect as it turned everything the colour of—
Shit, it's just storm drain run-off. It's surface water from the rain last night. Stick to high ground and your feet will come through just fine.
The tunnel ended at a T junction, forcing Shepard to stop again. The husk's footsteps sounded as though they came from both directions. Damn. She hated to keep using her omnitool in the dim light, the orange glow carried too far. Activating the scanner, she saw that it had taken the tunnel to her left, but was quickly reaching the limit of her IFF scanner.
She took off down the left tunnel, sprinting to make up the distance. If she lost the husk, the entire mess amounted to nothing … no, worse than nothing, because thanks to Martin only seeing her go over the fence, everyone thought her some sort of runaway bride.
The echoes from behind closed in. She heard them stop, talking in low, deep, dual-toned voices. It wasn't Garrus or Nihlus. Maybe Herros, but she didn't think so. Who had Garrus invited? Maybe he called Internal Forces to help search? That was a call she'd love to overhear.
"Yes, I'd like to report a disappearance? Who? My dilan. Where was she last seen? Leaping over the back fence at our bonding ceremony. I'm sorry, quirte, we can't arrest her for cold feet."
She caught sight of the husk at the far end of a long, flat stretch of tunnel. It stopped and started as if still wrestling the override. Apparently, the suzerain wanted her to follow, and were trying to slow the thing down. Never one to turn down help when it appeared, she kept to the shadows, moving forward but slowing a little. If the Reapers knew she followed, the thing would probably self-destruct or charge her and blow up in her face.
Bloody shreds of Shepard and wedding dress. Another thing we don't want Garrus to find.
"Captain Shepard?" When the voice called her name, Shepard recognized it as belonging to Garrus's new friend, General Victus. She winced, frustration flaring as the husk whirled around, searching for the source of the sound. Again, it flailed, looking as though angry varren tried to tear it limb for limb. After a second of frantic back and forth, it took off.
"Sh," Shepard whispered behind her, hoping the echo carried it. Starting forward, she trusted the faster moving turians to catch her, and set as fast a pace as she dared on the wet stone. They caught up with her two tunnels later, after confirming her belief about omnitool light travelling really well in the low levels of light. Every time they activated their tools, the walls glowed brightly enough to be a clear tip off. Hopefully the suzerain kept the husk confused enough to lead her along the right path.
"Captain Shepard?" The call came in a low whisper from just a few metres behind her as she hesitated outside what looked like a solid section of the tunnel wall. Checking her omnitool confirmed that the husk had passed through the wall, but she couldn't see how.
Hand over hand, she felt her way down the wall, almost falling flat on her face when the wall stopped. Grinning she reached forward a half metre, coming in contact with another wall, a narrow passage hidden between them.
"That's one hell of an optical illusion," she whispered, edging her way forward. If someone didn't know the entrance was there, chances were that they'd never find it. Past the series of overlapping walls, all signs of turian public works disappeared. The light vanished along with the stone brick walls and finished, slip-resistant floors, leaving not even a wan, poopstain-yellow glow to break the black.
"Captain Shepard?" That call came louder and sounded more like angry boulders grinding together than Victus's smoky tone.
Glancing back, she held a finger to her lips, then focused ahead once again. Careful to avoid touching the walls in the narrow space, she pushed into the black, listening for the husk's footfalls. Cold emanated from the chiselled stone walls and floor, quickly making her feet numb. What stretched before her probably dated back as long as turians occupied the canyon.
She set out into the dark, never doubting that the turians would follow. One hand trailed along the wall to keep her oriented as she lifted into a jog, praying the floor didn't just quit on her. A pale light appeared, but from the tunnel at her back rather than a hopeful beacon ahead. She almost turned to hiss at them to turn it off, but they remained too far behind the husk for it to make much of a difference. Besides, it allowed her to move a whole lot faster. Grumbling under her breath, she let them have their flashlight.
The pair of turians caught up with her less than five minutes later. She didn't need to see Victus's companion to know who it was. Fedorian took up the entire tunnel, and not just with his sheer bulk, which remained poised like a landslide set to bury her, but his smell. Holy musky cologne or soap or … something, Batman. It would alert the husk before the light did. Wow. She breathed through her mouth, the tunnel far too snug for that much male.
It didn't help.
"Why are we chasing you through the sewers and now these old tunnels, Captain?" Victus asked, moving up beside her, able to walk and maintain her pace. Damn them and their long legs. "Aren't you supposed to be wrapping coillasi around someone's wrists right about now?"
She gave him her best imitation of a throaty little chuff. "I'd much rather be there than here, destroying my dress. One of the talking husks climbed in my window, said a bunch of cryptic crap, and leaped right back out. It didn't leave me time to explain where or why."
Victus stiffened, his entire posture suddenly lunging forward into the darkness. "It could be leading us back to its base." He covered part of the flashlight lens with a talon and aimed the light at the floor. "Not exactly good tunnel crawling attire," he said, the light skipping over to shine on her bare legs and feet. "There are some pretty aggressive animals that live down in tunnels like these. A lot of them bite, and a few sting."
Shepard sucked in a quick, sharp breath. "I think I was happier without that PSA, thanks, General." Suddenly the darkness seemed to be filled with eyes and teeth and stingers. But then … she'd just climbed right into the dark without thinking twice about it. She grinned, glancing back as if she needed to confirm it. She hadn't hesitated for a second. Huh, maybe she hadn't just lost her fear of dying.
A sharp black line appeared on the floor ahead of Victus's flashlight, and she reached out, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Really big drop off," she said, and crept forward, crouching to get a good look at it. "It's about four, maybe five metres."
Shepard straightened and looked from the lip of the drop to Victus and back, a combination of annoyance and amusement sending her eyebrows climbing her brow as he just stared back, completely clueless.
The turian general shrugged and leaned in to look down. "What? Go ahead."
"Seriously?" Gesturing toward the white, gauzy material gathered around her waist, she decided to spell it out for him. "White wedding dress and rolling around on tunnel floors do not go together, General." An incredulous laugh bubbled up as he continued to stare. Apparently it had been a very long time since he needed to perform any sort of gallant gesture. Of course, it might just be that he'd never crawled through the sewers with his bond-mate when she was wearing clothes she didn't want to spoil.
"Oh for the … . The husk is getting away." Fedorian stomped by, peeling off his suit jacket to a chorus of cursing that remained almost entirely subvocal. He threw the gorgeous emerald and black tussat silk down on the edge of the ledge and swept his arms toward the path ahead. "By all means, gloranumis, go ahead."
Grinning at Victus as the general clued in, she nodded to Fedorian. "Thank you, Primarch. Your sacrifice is appreciated." Shepard plunked down onto the fabric and flipped over onto her belly, hands held out for one of them to lower her down to where landing wouldn't shatter both ankles. That time, Victus took the hit, getting down on his belly before holding out his hands.
"Humans," he said, his mandibles twitching in an all too familiar manner, "so fragile."
Shepard grinned at the sparkle in his amber gaze, but didn't bother with a retort about how she could have done it in her armour. Instead, she grabbed hold of his talons and swung down, dropping once she hit the extent of his reach. She landed, her feet squelching into about fifteen centimetres of muck. "Dear sweet lord, jump out away from the base. It's a lot of sludge and … " She winced. "I don't even want to think about it."
"No, you don't." Victus landed a metre or so away, slipping a little before he gained his footing. He held out a hand, taking her fingers in a tight grip as he helped her wade from the muck.
Fedorian followed, his jacket draped over one arm. His omnitool flared bright orange for a second. "The husk is one hundred and eight metres ahead, and moving straight east." He frowned and shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. It's moving toward the river. That's a dead end."
"Unless the tunnel goes under the river." Shepard shrugged and whispered, "Well, we'll figure out what's going on when we get there." Shepard pushed on, her arms held out, trying to keep her balance on the slippery stone.
Sliding like a drunk space cow, she started down. "Oh crap, this is slick and steep, gentlemen. Hang onto your butts," she whispered over her shoulder. The floor angled down on a twenty degree slope. Why did she have to mention the tunnel going under the river? Genius. Well, at least the grade made for a detritus-free descent. Any and all crap just rolled downhill.
Concentrate, or in five seconds, you're going to be detritus rolling downhill.
Shepard clung to the wall, fingers digging into cracks in the stone, Victus now keeping vigil at her side in case of disaster. The torins' boots definitely gave them an advantage in the grip department. She stumbled on occasion, stubbing her frozen toes on the rock, or just taking a bad step because of the lack of sensation. Glancing down, she saw bright red leaking through the filth. Oh well, Chakwas would fix them up as good as new once she got out of the damned tunnels and home.
The path levelled out about twenty metres down and the three of them sped up to a quick jog to close the gap. Not that the husk had anywhere to go. The path continued in an almost straight line, no side tunnels along its length. Time lost meaning in the near darkness, but they must have covered at least two kilometres before a heavy hand thumped down on Shepard's shoulder, pulling her to a halt.
"Husk is fifty metres ahead," Fedorian whispered, right next to Shepard's ear. "It's slowed, and I'm reading a massive cluster of energy signatures." He slipped his omnitool between Shepard and Victus so she could see the ants' nest of energy signatures.
"Holy blessed Enkindlers shitting in their glowing panties," she said, the words barely hissing out between her teeth. "That's … kilometres worth of stasis units. Hundreds of thousands of husks." Her gut dropped into her feet, growing just as cold and numb as those appendages. Once the tunnel reached the other side of the river, it honeycombed up through the cliff, hundreds of tunnels, thousands of chambers, all of them containing what looked to be about thirty stasis pods.
This isn't going to be an easy fix, Janey. Not like dropping the mountain on Thessia.
No fucking kidding. She just shook her head and pressed on, the tunnel beginning a steep climb up to the first chamber. They climbed until her thighs burned and the soles of her feet began to feel as though they'd been worn clear away. Next to her, even Victus showed the rigours of the climb, letting out a low sigh of relief that matched her own when the path flattened out.
Light returned, slowly enough that she didn't realize it until a flash of white from her dress startled her. Still, she didn't see the edge of the pit until Victus reached out and yanked her back. She spun to glare at him, but then saw the massive hole in the floor. She breathed in, a hand reaching up to clap over her nose and mouth as the stench overrode Fedorian's cologne.
Shepard sucked the next breath in through her mouth, immediately regretting it. The sweet stink of decay coated her tongue, tweaking her gag reflex. Plucking Victus's flashlight from his hand, she crouched at the edge of the pit to shine it down onto a pile of dead bodies. "There are just … " Shaking her head, she glanced over at the general, unable to properly process what she was seeing. "... thousands of bodies. Maybe even hundreds of thousands. How do this many people disappear without anyone realizing?"
"Fifty thousand cycles," Victus replied, looking as sick as she'd ever seen a turian look. He straightened and nodded toward the path. "Let's keep moving. If these are just the cast offs and failures, a whole lot worse—"
Shepard sliced off the rest of the general's sentence with a sharp nod. Taking the narrow path, she skirted the pit. Another long climb awaited them, this one littered with bodies that had failed to roll all the way down. Most amounted to no more than a few bones scattered against the wall, but a couple hadn't been there more than a few days. Shepard choked down so many throatfuls of disgust and rage that her gut felt bloated with horror and death.
"How many crews of missing ships, how many family members who left home and never returned?" Fedorian asked, the demand furious and brittle, his thoughts and emotions clearly tracking a parallel course to her own. She glanced at his face, seeing there the helpless fury of a dedicated and passionate leader realizing that his people had been preyed upon for thousands of cycles. She reached out, gripping his arm, a gesture of understanding and solidarity, but he tore it from her grasp.
She took a deep breath and nodded, concentrating on the climb. Why would he accept anything from her? They didn't know one another. Victus, however, squeezed her shoulder, as if apologizing for the primarch. She smiled and nodded, grateful, but letting him know there was no need. They just needed to pack all their emotions down, find the damned stasis units, assess the threat and get the hell out.
A long shudder rolled up her back, the chilled muscles threatening to tie themselves into knots for a moment before they relaxed. God, she wished that Garrus and Nihlus had found her. Their presence always made facing the horror easier. Oh well, no point lamenting what she lacked, best to focus on what she had: two solid warriors followed at her back, and the light continued to get brighter until she could see clearly.
The tunnel floor evened out again, that time opening into a chamber, the walls lined with stasis units on both sides.
Fedorian strode past her to look in the nearest stasis unit. He scanned it then let out a low trill of sound unfamiliar to Shepard's experience. "This is one of our ancient ancestors. He's been in stasis for over thirty thousand cycles." Awe tinged his tone. "Spirits, just think … one day he left his clan's cave to hunt with the rest and never returned. His family and clan mourned him, and here he is.
"Turned into a nightmarish machine husk." Shepard walked to the end of the line of stasis units. A long, steep ramp descended to another layer and another small floor of stasis units, below that, more and more. "He's just as dead as if some big cat had eaten him." The silence crawled along her spine. She didn't hear a single sound other than the low hum of the stasis pods. Where were the Collectors? They wouldn't just abandon that much work. "This place is a massive maze. We can't just blow it like we did the cavern on Thessia."
Victus stepped up behind her, looking down over the floor below. He nodded and let out a sigh that sounded as exhausted and overwhelmed as she felt. "This is insane. How have they kept all this a secret for so long?"
"It's the entire history of our people, Adrien," Fedorian said, his voice filled with far too much wonder and far too little fear for Shepard's comfort. "It's a find of unimaginable importance."
Shepard whirled to face him, searching his face for signs of indoctrination. "This is a find of unimaginable danger, Primarch. If these discoveries of yours wake up, this entire city is dead or harvested within hours." She took a step toward him, trying to keep her tone even despite the acidic burn of panic that flooded her veins. "You've got to destroy every single one of them."
Fury flared in the violet depths of the primarch's eyes as he spun on her. "This is not Earth or any land belonging to humanity, Shepard. I'm Palaven's primarch, so watch who you're spitting orders at."
She backed away from him, not sure if what she saw was just arrogance or indoctrination. She held her hands out. "You see what the Reapers and Collectors have done to these people, Primarch. These are no longer even alive, let alone turian, sir." She glanced toward Victus, searching to see a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Garrus held a lot of faith in the general, but he knew the torin, he'd fought beside him. All she had to go on, there, under the cliffs and surrounded by enemies and the unknown, was her dilan's faith.
"Primarch … Fedorian … ," the general called, pulling the primarch's attention from Shepard, "you have sworn to protect the people of Palaven. You saw what Sovereign was, what it did … a single Reaper." Victus closed on Fedorian, apparently not liking the sort of 'wild animal being backed into a corner' look in the torin's eyes any more than Shepard did. "We don't have to decide what to do with them right here or now, but we do need to address this threat."
Fedorian took a breath and nodded, his shoulders falling into a far more relaxed position. "Where are the Collectors?" he asked, the question coming out as a demand. "You faced a great deal of resistance on Thessia, did you not?"
Shepard nodded. "A strong resistance, yes." She activated her omnitool. "And where has our husk friend gone? If he's still running, he could easily give our presence away." She backed up a couple of steps, dread closing in, a noose drawing tighter and tighter. "I'm going to go down a couple of levels, see if I can pick anything up on scans." She faced Fedorian until the primarch turned away from her to examine the stasis unit with the ancient turian encased inside. "They've been experimenting with your people for so long, and keeping them all."
Victus turned away from the primarch to follow her. "Wait for me. You don't even have a sidearm." He followed, an arm's length behind, as Shepard started down toward the first chamber. The tunnel dropped for about ten metres into a room identical to the first. But the next one down opened into two tunnels, one leading them on, the other branching to the right.
"Which way?" Victus asked, shining his flashlight down one path and then the other. "Scan showing anything?" His rock solid energy began to change like a rubber band stretched to the point of where even the slightest breath sent shocks rocketing down its length.
Her scans showed nothing, not even the husk, although with the amount of energy the stasis pods gave off, the husk's signature could easily be camouflaged. Shepard shook her head, but tossed in a shrug to go along with it. Something crawling in her gut said that to see the base's true scope, they needed to take the right path.
She jerked her head that way, then set out, descending down yet another tunnel. "Let's mix it up a little."
"Why haven't we seen any Collectors?" the general asked, as if she'd suddenly come up with an answer, or just hadn't shared her thoughts with Fedorian.
"I don't know. Maybe because there was something about the asari that sparked the Reapers' interest. From what I got from the beacon, the protheans were preparing the asari to take a leadership role, whereas they just watched humans. Maybe the Reapers only consider humans and turians worthy of being footsoldiers, animals without real souls that offered them nothing."
He chuffed, the sound like a warm hand on the back of her neck. "I don't think I've ever been so grateful to be undervalued."
Shepard opened her mouth to agree, but then, at the bottom of the tunnel, instead of stepping into another enclosed chamber, she emerged onto a wide platform overlooking a massive cavern. Shepard staggered to a stop so suddenly that the general ran up her heel. She tried to look up, tried to look anywhere, but shock froze her in place. It had to be fifty metres across, rising storeys above their head and dropping twenty, maybe more storeys below them: the levels disappeared into the gloom. Ramps descended the outer wall in a spiral, linking together hundreds of chambers, each containing ... . She looked behind her to count the units … twenty. So each of those open platforms contained twenty units.
"We've descended into buratrum," Victus whispered. "Good spirits preserve me." He walked to the edge and looked down.
Shepard just nodded, unable to get enough air in to force words out. When would the sheer scope of the Reapers' capabilities and capacity for creating nightmares stop surprising her? She turned to examine the stasis pods. The husks within looked very much like her guide. Modern turians with invasive metal and circuitry erupting through their bodies. In places it looked like armour, in others … perverse tumours.
Making her way down the line toward the path that led to the next cluster, she forced herself to look into the mockery of eyes … diodes and sensors where once bright blues or greens or golds had prompted smiles and tears. She lifted her hand to press against the glass, tears burning in the back of her throat at the opal wink of coillasi around the creature's wrist.
"And whose were you, then?" she whispered.
"Captain!"
She spun toward Victus's shout, catching a flash of movement from behind a stasis chamber, but didn't get turned around before whatever slammed into her. Arms like steel bands locked around her, pinning her arms to her sides as it bore her to the ground, aiming for the void at the center of the chamber. Digging her feet into the rock, Shepard shoved backwards, throwing her attacker off-balance.
The husk dragged her to the ground, and for one perfect second, Shepard saw Victus coil, lunging toward her. She strained against the arms holding her pinned, stretching her hand out to grasp the one the general extended toward her. His talons touched her fingertips, and then the husk clinging to her jerked back, rolling her over its body. That one perfect second of salvation hung in the air as she tipped over the edge of the ramp down, and then her world turned into a maelstrom of crushing weight and rock smashing into elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and head.
She saw the edge of the abyss coming through the maelstrom. Flailing even as they rolled, she finally broke one arm free as they reached the next platform down. Slapping her arm out, her fingers scrabbling at the stone, Shepard tried to catch a hold … any hold. A breath of relief blew through the frantic scramble as she halted their tumbling, but momentum … that implacable bitch grabbed hold and pulled both she and the husk toward that edge.
Do you think there's water at the bottom? If it's a drop of say seventy metres or less, you might survive if there's water at the bottom. Just keep your legs straight and point your—
"Shut up, Bunny." Twisting, writhing, she broke her second arm free and flipped over onto her belly, arms stretched out. Maybe friction could stop her.
The marauding damned husk slid over the edge first, its arms wrapped around her waist. The world slammed to a halt as she felt that lurch, the sudden haul of gravity without the support of floor. She clawed at the slick stone, keen slivers of pain stabbing under her fingernails as they peeled back. Slivers turned to knives at the cheese grater grinding of the stone against the wounds on her legs. And of all the fucking things … as her belly folded over the sharp lip of stone, she worried about the damage the marauder had done to her dress.
Her fucking dress. No, it wasn't the dress, it was Garrus finding her at the bottom of that hole in the tatters of that dress.
"Captain." Victus hit the ground, belly down, in front of her, and then blessedly strong talons wrapped around her wrists. "Grab hold, come on!"
She wrenched her arms within his grip, latching her fingers around his wrists, and with a spine-elongating jerk, the sliding stopped. Victus pulled her up even as she climbed his very fine suit, as irretrievably damaged as her dress. The husk clung to her, dragging her down almost as fast as she climbed.
"Grab my neck," Victus said, his words little more than a grunt. Heaving herself up that extra few, precious centimetres, Shepard got an arm around his neck and hung on for dear life. His hand free, he pulled his sidearm. Two shots rang out and the terrible weight dragging from Shepard's waist fell away.
"Okay," the general said, the words a sigh of relief, "up you come." Setting his pistol aside, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her up.
When Shepard scrambled up to collapse on her side next to him, she let out a long, slow moan. "Ouch." It took a couple of seconds for her body to realize she was safe on solid ground, her heart pounding hard and fast, the adrenaline suddenly burning like ice in her veins, her entire body trembling with it.
He chuckled, then ran a gentle hand over her hair, his touch as tremulous as she felt. "That was far too close."
Shepard just nodded, lying sprawled there until the screaming eased back to whining, and her muscles stopped trembling. She sniffed, realizing that she'd given her nose a couple of good smacks when her mouth flooded with blood and mucus, thick and tasting of iron. She turned her head and spat, then flushed, embarrassed. A harsh chuckle greeted her worry about appearing crass.
Heavy footfalls ran down the ramp, sliding a little as the primarch braked at the bottom. "What in the pits … ?"
Shepard looked up and shook her head then collapsed back onto the stone. It felt so wonderfully cold against her cheek. "Long story, Primarch Fedorian. Long story." Letting out a long sigh, she tested her limbs, just sliding them over the floor, not ready to do anything crazy like lift them. They seemed mostly intact, abraded and bruised, but nothing broken. A nice development.
Victus sat up. "Are you all right?"
Complaining vocally the entire way, Shepard pushed herself up onto an elbow. "Yeah, just letting the adrenaline wear off before I try doing anything really radical, like standing."
When they both made it up into a sitting position, she swiped at the blood pouring down her face, grabbed hold of his cowl, and hauled him close enough to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, General."
"You're more than welcome, Captain." He pushed up onto his feet then reached down for her hands. "Come, let's get you back to your dilan. This place will keep until tomorrow. We know where to find them now."
"I've called in a battalion to sweep through, clear out any Collectors and secure the base," Fedorian told them and turned toward the path up.
Shepard grabbed hold of Victus's hands and clambered to her feet. She opened her mouth to say something to Fedorian … a warning maybe to beware of indoctrination, or to insist that he destroy them all, but then she just let out a long breath and shook her head. In the end, Fedorian was right. Palaven wasn't hers. She held no sway there, and if they mismanaged the site and got people killed, that responsibility lie with them.
"Don't worry," Victus said, wrapping an arm around her back to help her up the ramp. "This place will go up in flames, I promise you that."
Pressing her lips together, she nodded, believing him. Garrus's instincts about Adrien Victus had been right on the money. "I know you will," she replied, then groaned as she recalled the length of the road in. "Oh sweet baby Jesus, we have to walk all the way back. The Collectors have to design their dungeons better." She leaned into his support a little as her left ankle complained when she put weight on it. "They could learn a thing or two from Galaxy of Fantasy's level devs. They always have an exit at both ends of the dungeon."
Victus cocked a brow plate at her. "They're right about you," he said. "You're mad."
Shepard let out a weary breath, her nod a scant tremor. "Only on my good days, General."
Garrus, Nihlus, and Martin met them in the sewer tunnels, Garrus earning himself a big kiss when he knelt to wipe her feet clean and ease them into her boots. Still on one knee, he pulled her into a tight, almost frantic hug, not letting her go until she begged for mercy and the ability to take a full breath. As much as he tried to convince her to let him carry her, to rest her ankle, she insisted on walking all the way back.
"How long has it been?" she asked, as they emerged into the alley behind the Vakarian home. The sky above was full black, the moons both risen.
"Nine hours, Kahri." Garrus squeezed her tight against his side. "Next time, run through the house, screaming on your way out? Please?"
Shepard gave him a weary smile in response to the worry in his voice. "Okay, Callor. The next time our wedding is interrupted by suzerain-controlled turian husks, I promise, I'll do just that."
The domin wrapped around her, comforting, warm, and soft, as she stepped through the front door. She stopped, looking around at all the decorations and party preparations, an entire truckload of bricks tumbling down to bear her to the ground as she realized … she'd destroyed her wedding. She'd had one thing to do that morning, one person to avoid disappointing … and she'd disappointed him. Through the joy at her coming home, she could see it … the question that had been there ever since she came back.
Am I going to have to spend my entire life worrying that you're going to do something crazy and get yourself killed?
She swallowed the single brick that lodged in her throat and pulled away from Garrus's side, her eyes glancing at each of the faces staring at her, expectant and shocked. "I'm sorry, everyone," she whispered. Wrapping her fingers around Garrus's hand, she peeled his arm from her side and stepped out of his embrace. "I'm so sorry."
Bolting, she ran up the stairs, her untied boots flapping loose on her feet, one flying off as she reached the top and turned toward Garrus's room. She'd taken what should have been a beautiful day and in her usual, spectacularly insane fashion, completely trashed it. Garrus deserved so much better than a day of worry and racing around trying to find his scatter-brained dilan.
Heart feeling as though it bled out through a hundred holes, Shepard stripped off the shredded dress, leaving it puddled on the floor. She'd ruined everything, and for what? Victus promised to make sure that the husks were destroyed, but the fervour in Fedorian's eyes when he saw the ancient varieties … that fervour told her everything she needed to know about how dedicated the primarch would be to ensuring their disposal.
Picking the beaded belt off the end of the bed, she held it up between her hands, a vague sorrow greeting the lovely gold and cream design. "Well, at least you survived the nightmare." She flopped down on the side of the mattress and stared down at her feet. Despite Garrus cleaning them off, they still bore the marks of having travelled long and hard through more things she didn't want to think about. Small red patches marked the places where she'd worn away the skin or snagged them on the rock.
A soft knock drew her eyes and attention to the door. She winced as she saw all their eyes as she'd walked back into the house, all questions and disappointment and … . "Come in." Might as well get it over with and face the music.
The door opened and Trea stepped through, something draped over her arm. "May I come in? I had to sneak this past everyone downstairs, so I need to rest for a moment before attempting to get it past them all again."
"Of course." Shepard stood and gestured at the bed. "My bed of shame is open to all who need a place to rest from the madness."
Trea paused to look down at the remains of the dress. "Oh my, it didn't come through the adventure very well, did it?"
"It was doing all right until the husk tackled me and we rolled down twenty metres of ramp and then slid across a platform and over the edge." Scalding tears that felt as though they originated at the center of her heart forced their way up her throat into her sinuses, finally escaping out her eyes. "I ruined everything. I … ." She dissolved into a puddle of misery.
Trea chuffed, the vocalization rumbling low with anger. "Stop it, now," she said, the words a sharp order. When Shepard looked up, startled out of her self-pity and remorse, the tarin softened her harshness with a smile. "You've ruined precisely one thing today." Her mandibles twitched in a cheeky smile as she nodded toward the pile of gauzy silk on the floor. "That poor, innocent dress."
Shepard nodded. "It's definitely dead, Jim." She smiled through her tears and shook her head at the confusion in Trea's eyes. "Sorry, obscure human reference." A sigh that felt as though it started in the weeping soles of her feet, whispered out, carrying a wave of exhaustion along with it. "Sorry … again. I've reached the babbling nonsensically portion of the evening."
Trea strode over and ran a loving hand over Shepard's matted, filthy hair, then looked at her hand. "I shouldn't have done that for a few minutes." She chuckled and set down her burden on the bed, then reached for the tissues. Once she seemed satisfied that she'd cleaned away the filth, she picked up the bundle. After sorting it a little, she held up a simple, but gorgeous gown made of a creamy, shimmering material.
Shepard jumped up, looking from the dress to Trea's eyes and back. "Oh my goodness. It's beautiful," she whispered. The fabric begged her fingers to reach out and caress it, but she balled her hands into fists. She drew the line at ruining one dress per twenty-four hour period.
Trea smiled and laid it out on the far side of the bed. "Well, about the same time you leaped out of the tree, ran across the yard, and hurdled the fence, I had a feeling you might need a replacement for that poor, innocent victim of violence." She walked around the bed to sit on the side, patting the mattress next to her. "Sit down, Jane. Relax. Everything's going to be fine."
Shepard gripped the bedpost so hard her knuckles ached, tears streaming over her face. "Oh my," she whispered, swiping at her face as she stared down at the dress. "You made this?" She lowered herself onto the bed next to Trea, her entire body trembling. "For me?"
Trea held out her arms, folding Shepard into a hug that probably should have been awkward, but the emotion behind it transcended the mechanics and any social awkwardness. "I knew I'd done the right thing the second I saw you walk through the door. State of the dress or no, I'd never seen anyone look that sad or worried about disappointing everyone." She pulled back. "The fact it was Garrus you were worried about disappointing … . I know my pahir wouldn't care if you were wearing a refuse sack, but anyone who loves my Betru that much deserves to feel as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside."
Shepard pressed her lips together, fighting to get her emotions under control. "Thank you," she whispered, gripping Trea's talons in her hand. "It's amazing. I've never seen anything more beautiful outside of your pahirs." She sniffed, then turned, fumbling across the bed for the box of tissues. Chuckling self-consciously, she wiped her face. "He deserves a much better day than I've given him."
Trea shook her head. "You exposed a threat that would have destroyed this city within moments of being unleashed, and the rest of Palaven within short order." She pulled Shepard into another hug, one that settled the last waves that tossed the stormy sea inside the captain's gut. "I'd say you've given him a day he will never forget, and a pretty great one at that."
Slipping her arms around the tarin, Shepard clung to the slight, impossibly strong frame. "I love him so much, Trea. He's the rock solid center of me, and I can't imagine trying to do any of this without him." For a moment, she felt that cold, hard floor tumbling away under her. The whole adventure had come down to making sure Garrus didn't find her body in a variety of grisly manners.
"I don't know a lot about the future, but down there, I knew only one thing mattered. War; no war. Victory; defeat. None of it matters. I'll fight like hell to make sure we win, but I will do it because of them."
Trea pulled away, her hands wrapping around Shepard's. "Wait until you have babies. They have a power that's almost magical, and they'll pull the three of you tighter than you can even imagine now." Her mandibles flailed a little as they eased into a smile. "But for this moment, I suggest getting cleaned up. I'll go pour you a hot bath and find someone to help me fix you a meal that won't make you sorry you ate. We'll try the dress on, I'll pin it, and then finish the alterations for the morning. Tomorrow, we'll relax and spend your bonding day celebrating." She patted Shepard's hands and stood, then brushed the tears from Shepard's cheek. "Only happy tears allowed."
Shepard nodded and took a deep breath, her lips still trembling, the traitors. She stared at the beautiful dress laying out on the coverlet, tears burning in the corners of her eyes again. How had she created something so gorgeous, so intricate, in a day? And that Trea had done it for her ….
The door knocked again. Wondering how many times it would, and if they all intended to come in with her dressed in her undies, she chuckled and took a deep breath. She let out a long sigh of relief when Nihlus peeked through, and lifted a hand, stretching out to him. He shut the door, then hurried across the floor to pull her up into his arms, lifting her right off the floor.
"Are you all right?" he asked, whispering the words into her ear. One arm slipped down to support her, the other holding her tight against him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She flung her arms around his neck. "How is everyone dealing with my adventure?" Nuzzling into the warmth of his neck, she relaxed, savouring the strong comfort of his arms around her.
"Garrus had everyone out on your heels within a couple of minutes. Mostly everyone was just confused when you jumped the fence and took off." Nihlus rested his head against hers. "But we knew there had to be something going on." Pulling away, he frowned. "We'd better get Dr. Chakwas to have a look at that nose before both your eyes go black."
Shepard pressed her palm against his cheek. "How was Garrus?" Nihlus shrugged, giving her the answer, but she pushed, staring at him until he let out a low grumble through his subvocals.
"You know Garrus. He wouldn't quit, pushed until Fedorian called and said they'd found you." He set her down, taking her bloodied fingers in his. "Look at you. Can't even get bonded without getting into a scrape." Gentle nuzzles felt like blessings against the broken skin. "When we do this, I'm taking you to a deserted beach, and strapping everyone into life vests, and probably packing bubbles as well. I'll build safety fence around the entire beach and probably install lifelines."
Shepard laughed. He nodded and nuzzled her lips. "Better."
More knuckles rapped against the door, but Trea stuck her head through. "Your bath is hot, caris. I'll bring food up when you're done."
"Thank you, Trea." Shepard drew Nihlus down for a kiss. "I'm going to suck all the heat out of that bath and then see you a little later, cikabeknai."
He nodded and slipped out the door.
Five minutes later, Shepard eased her way into the roasting hot water, a low whine of pain escaping between clenched teeth. Lovely, gentle wafts of fragrant steam billowed off the surface, but rather than stinging like hell as she'd feared, the herbs Trea added to the water actually soothed the pain, allowing Shepard to melt down into the tub's embrace. And what a tub. Made to allow turians to soak, four of her could have easily shared.
When a knuckle rapped against the bathroom door, she didn't need to guess who it was. "Come in, Callor." Happiness rushed through her when she looked up into his eyes, the reaction as strong as a hit of adrenaline, but warm, soothing, and a little giddy, where adrenaline bred only a sharp, frozen vigilance.
"How did you know it was me?" Garrus smiled and strode over to crouch beside the tub. "It could have been anyone." His talons lifted to rake through her hair, then caress her jawline, his hide rough, but his touch gentle and loving.
"When I'm in the bath?" She chuckled and closed her eyes, leaning into the contact. "Only a few would dare enter the realm of nekkid Shepard."
"So basically me and Wrex?" he said, the warm teasing so close that his breath curled around her ear.
"I'm not sure even Wrex is brave enough for that battlefield." A wide grin spread across her face as she tipped her head until her temple rested against his mandible. "Your mari, however, has seen me in my undies now, so it's not that big a stretch, and Karin, of course. She's clocked more nekkid Shepard hours than the rest of you combined." The grin tilted a little, a bemused hum sliding beneath it. "Huh, I think she might have a crush on me."
Garrus nuzzled her ear. "Or you're a disaster in small, humanoid form." He pulled away, releasing her to remove his tunic. "I don't trust you to keep your bath water to yourself, and this is my favorite suit," he said, mandibles flicking playfully. A moment later, he returned, his hand cradling her neck. "Keep sliding down. I'll wash your hair."
Shepard did as she was told and closed her eyes, able to immerse herself until only her nose remained above the water. One hand supporting her neck, Garrus raked the filth from her hair, then applied her shampoo and massaged it into a lather. She relaxed completely, letting herself float loose and lazy in the water, her every nerve focused on the glorious sensation of the water lapping against her skin, and the slow, sensual music of her Callor's talons on her scalp. Breathing long and deep of the floral and herb scents, she felt the day begin to fall away. All the craziness and pain began to melt into the steam. All of it, but for—
When he helped her sit back up, Shepard swept the hair off her face, then grasped both of his hands in hers, and stared up into his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Garrus," she said, scarcely louder than a whisper. "I really wanted today to be amazing, and then you spent the entire time worrying about crazy Shepard." Squeezing his talons, she shook her head, struggling to put words to how much she wanted to be sane and stable and worry-free for him.
Her torin saved her the trouble, letting out a sigh that sounded like it began in another life. "Kahri, my fears about losing you are just that, mine. They're my issue, not yours, and you never have to apologize for being who you are." Lifting her hands to his mouth, he nuzzled her bruised and peeled fingers. "I don't want my fear to change you. I fell in love with the woman who drove makos through thresher maws and picked fights with ambassadors and trash talked Reapers. I knew what I was getting into."
Shepard leaned in to rest her forehead against his. "I didn't come back the same, Garrus."
His brow brushing hers, he nodded, then drew back, retrieving a small, soft sponge and a container of pearlescent blue stuff that smelled like paradise in a jar. "We all change over time and with the punches life throws, but the woman hacking mechs and saving Blue Suns on Korlus … she was amazing, full of passion and fire and love." He worked the sponge into a lather and washed one arm and then the other.
"You weren't sure it was me at all in the beginning," she said, not sure where she intended to go down that path.
Garrus shook his head. "That's not true. I knew the moment I saw you. Everything after that was fear." He turned his attention to her back, sweeping the filth away with gentle strokes. "It felt easier to drive you away than face what it all meant … to face the risk again." He stilled, then he pressed a talon pad under her chin, turning her head until she looked into his eyes.
"I love you, Kahri. You, not some less crazy, more careful version. I want you to really hear me about this, not just nod and agree, but then spend the rest of our lives feeling as though you need to be someone else." He leaned in, kissing her softly. "You're my beautiful, brilliant, costly, precious light, and you're worth risking my heart a million times over." He kissed her again. "Do you understand me?"
Heart feeling too large to be able to beat properly within the cage of her ribs, Shepard sniffed back her tears, trying to bury them under a smile and 'I'm fine'. But then he shook his head, brushing away the slow tracks of emotion with his thumb. "All of you, even the tears. That's the deal, remember? Everything you are and everything that flows from you," he whispered, "I accept as part of me."
Shepard kissed him, wrapping an arm around his neck to pull him in. "And everything you are and everything that flows from you, I accept as part of me." Sliding around, she knelt, pulling him in. "Always."
(A-N: And the streak continues. Not sure I'll have another chapter for Monday ... might be a day or two later, but YAY for words! And adventures! Thank you ... all you glorious readers! *baskets of Cadbury Mini Eggs*)